The existing architectures of personal home computers and video games provide graphics performance which is severely limited due to technological restrictions imposed when the designs were developed. In the late 1970's, most graphics systems being designed used either 8 bit microprocessors or low performance 16 bit machines. By today's requirements, graphic processors of that time were mediocre in terms of resolution, color definition and animation support. The memory speed of these machines was insufficient for the high bandwidth encountered in the video domain. These and other restrictions caused the graphic display systems to be deliberately compromised.
The simplest approach to minimize bandwidth and memory requirement is to implement a "card" approach. This approach segments the screen into a matrix of small rectangles. Each rectangle may accept a simple outline pattern filled with a single color to represent a primitive object. This approach gives satisfactory representation of an image perceived in two dimensions. However, the realism of an image is related to perception in three dimensions. Moreover, the basic single color card approach introduces severe handicaps when one attempts to portray overlapped or merged images.
A second approach taken to graphics systems has been to employ a one to one correspondence between system memory and usable screen positions. This technique is referred to as bit map or pixel (picture element) map. Unfortunately, the bit map approach has restrictions of its own. The image quality becomes unacceptable if the memory is minimized to remain within cost and speed constraints. Even if sufficient memory is provided, older processors cannot create the images fast enough to support animation.
In consideration of these problems, hybrid systems were created which provided unit screen bit map representation of a single "card" position. In this development bit map card approaches (still small rectangles) were joined with the notion of object independence, which allowed objects to be placed randomly around the screen and overlayed on top of each other. This concept aided in the generation of multiple planes containing objects to support three dimensional effects (which are rudimentary compared to the effects obtainable by the system here disclosed). While these innovative hybrids spawned an explosive business in programmable T.V. games, they are not easily enhanced, thus restricting their further use. To sustain personal computers and other graphics terminals throughout the late 1980's, more advanced and flexible architectures must be created.
The software environment available in most graphic system architectures assembles characters and patterns in a simple sequential list organization. This format, although easy to implement, is quite cumbersome and ineffective in environments which are constantly being modified, updated and destroyed such as in image construction and animation. Systems currently do not provide enough capability to support commonly encountered data structures that are used within a typical data base or programming environment. The reorganization of the sequential data pattern is essential for future generation graphic systems.